easyJet has been instructed to refrain from advertising carry-on baggage fees starting at £5.99 as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) deemed this pricing strategy misleading for passengers. The ASA stated that there was inadequate proof that the stated price was applicable to various flight routes and dates, compelling easyJet to discontinue using the specific phrase.

Furthermore, easyJet is required to ensure that the “from” price for large cabin bags represents the lowest price available across a significant portion of flights going forward. Despite easyJet’s argument that the advertised price was accurate and applicable to multiple routes, they acknowledged that pricing could fluctuate based on factors like demand and operational expenses. The airline assured that the actual price for a specific booking was prominently displayed before purchase.

The ASA’s decision followed an investigation by the consumer group Which?, which revealed that the cost of adding a large cabin bag exceeded £5.99 on all 520 analyzed easyJet flights. The lowest price discovered was £23.49, with an average of £30.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, expressed astonishment at airlines’ use of misleading pricing tactics and commended the ASA’s ruling against easyJet as a response to their complaint. Boland highlighted a prevalent trend where airlines advertise low base fares but impose high additional charges for standard cabin bags. He advised customers to consider airlines without cabin bag add-ons to potentially save on costs when booking flights.

In response, easyJet stated their commitment to providing transparent pricing information to customers and clarified that they consistently offer some large cabin bags at the lowest price. Following the ASA’s feedback, easyJet made adjustments to ensure clarity in the information presented to consumers.